


Seeing Red

by crismes



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Angst, Feels, M/M, Real Madrid CF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crismes/pseuds/crismes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Real Madrid's 2-1 win at Cordoba. Cristiano has just been sent off and James is desperate to speak to him. Cristiano feels guilty, and James, well James isn't at all sure what he feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeing Red

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fic in a good few years, and my first ever footie fic. At first I wanted to write something cute and fluffy, then I started to work with the idea of things being far more complicated between James and Cris. James has to show a certain amount of respect to Cris because of who he is and his position within the team, but he can't help feeling angry at him too. That's all mixed up with the fact that he has feelings for him and sometimes he knows that Cris babies him. I'd like to write some kind of follow up to this exploring the power struggle between them a bit more, but I know my writing is terribly rusty, so we shall see!

They had been victorious. That should have been all that mattered to James. The team had overcome the odds and ground out a win, but he found it impossible to feel any kind of exhilaration. He wasn't sure _how_ he felt really. He was trembling, and he knew it wasn't just because he wasn't coping with the brisk cold of the Spanish winter.

Maybe it was a good thing that he'd not been on the pitch when Cristiano had been sent off. He hadn't witnessed what had happened first hand so he hadn't lied when he had said the very same thing in his post match interview.

There were too many thoughts going through his head as he made his way back to catch up with the others. It was wrong, so wrong of him to put Cristiano on a pedestal. He was human, just the same as the rest of the team were. He was human and entitled to the odd mistake. But this was the first time that he'd felt even the slightest bit of disappointment in Ronaldo and it was weird. James wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Their eyes didn't meet nor did Cristiano so much as offer James a glance as the team sat together in the changing room. He might as well have been invisible. Iker was doing what he did best, rallying the troops. Sergio was still sulking about his earlier irresponsibility and the fact that Iker had called him out on it. That took the heat off Cristiano, who sat in the farthest corner checking his phone. James approached him slowly.

“There you are.”  
  
“Don't. Please.” There was the dismissive wave of the hand from the older man.  
  
“So you _are_ avoiding me. Why? What am I supposed to have done?” His voice was quiet but it cracked slightly. He had always considered Cristiano his closest friend in the team, and lately he'd let himself believe that they were getting even closer. Perhaps he had been stupid.  
  
“You haven't done anything wrong James,” Cristiano sighed.  
  
“I only came over to make sure that you were alright. Just the same as you would do if this had happened to any other player.” James lowered the tone of his voice, happy to let the chatter of the other men drown out his conversation with Cristiano. Internally, his annoyance was growing.  
  
“But you're not just...” Cristiano's breath hitched in the back of his throat and his face reddened. He wasn't prepared for this conversation. Not right here or right now.  
  
“I'm not what?” James snapped back a little too quickly.

“I'm sorry that you had to see that, okay?” His words were uttered with a certain amount of weariness. “It was just a moment. A stupid, reckless moment.”  
  
“This is football, it happens.” James had clammed up once again, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. He allowed his eyes to meet Cristiano's briefly, then stared down at his hands again.  
  
“This is the first time you've been mad at me,” Cristiano laughed.  
  
“Not the first, probably not the last,” a weak smile from James. “I've not forgotten about the first few times we trained together you know. What was it you called it, my initiation?”  
  
“We were gentle with you,” Cristiano shook his head, an amused expression on his face.  
  
James just looked at him. He wanted to say that he could be much more than just the puppy who followed his hero around. He wanted his opinion to be valid, to be able to say what he thought to Cristiano even if it wasn't what he'd particularly enjoy hearing. He wished – rather he _longed_ to be more important to him than he was. That was why his heart was aching.  
  
“We should hurry, it's soon going to be time to get on the coach,” James acknowledged, starting to get up onto his feet.  
  
Cristiano reached over and took him by the arm. For the briefest of moments he placed his hand over James's, gazing up into his eyes. “I _am_ sorry. You're one of the last people I want seeing the worst side of me.”  
  
James nodded, swallowing hard. He felt giddy, as though the room was spinning around him. No words came out of his mouth. Instead he flashed his team mate a boyish smile before he headed to the door.

 


End file.
